Bleeding Hearts are very pretty. I used to grow them in my zone 5 home. I grew them outside my front door along with periwnkle and daylilies. I later added some crocus and a border of hen and chicks. I could never get the bleeding hearts to grow in full sun. But they were very happy to grow close to the house and greet me as I went out the front door.

Mine was in morning sun, afternoon shade. But last year was WET! Constant rain. How much moisture do bleeding hearts want or need? My unestablished plant might have just gotten too much rain. Or maybe I'll get lucky and it will show up again. Most of my perennials are just starting to peek up.

@virginarose The periwinkles are very very easy to grow. I got them as a ground cover because I was informed that they spread easily in partial shade. That was not the case for me and all the neighbors I gave some to. I dug up quite a bit over the years and tried to get it to spread in various partially shaded spots. The main reason I had it growing next to the door is that the water spigot 3' nearby caused a constant puddle at the door. With the bed of flowers, it would sometimes be too muddy when the husband blew dirt all over with the "Jet" setting of the hand watering nozzle.

I had bleeding hearts and daylilies in that bed that did very well. And also some crocus, the first spring blooms in my front yard. Which reminds me that I need to plant some crocus here in the fall. Those are the flowers I always looked for to herald the arrival of spring. Even when they were sitting proud and cheery while surrounded by snow.

I've had my Gold Heart for several years and it's huge. I'm thinking about splitting it this spring, and spreading it out in other beds. My bleeding hearts never die back, but I do cut them down so the hostas can put on their show for the season. It's just starting to come up now, but it's taller than my old fashioned ones.

Clint,

I almost ordered the Valentine bleeding heart, but chose Love Hearts instead. I'll probably regret my choice after seeing your photos! I've learned that the pics in the magazines very seldom look like mine! It's always nice to see pics from somebody's gardens.

ckatNM said:@virginarose The periwinkles are very very easy to grow. I got them as a ground cover because I was informed that they spread easily in partial shade. That was not the case for me and all the neighbors I gave some to. I dug up quite a bit over the years and tried to get it to spread in various partially shaded spots. The main reason I had it growing next to the door is that the water spigot 3' nearby caused a constant puddle at the door. With the bed of flowers, it would sometimes be too muddy when the husband blew dirt all over with the "Jet" setting of the hand watering nozzle.

I had bleeding hearts and daylilies in that bed that did very well. And also some crocus, the first spring blooms in my front yard. Which reminds me that I need to plant some crocus here in the fall. Those are the flowers I always looked for to herald the arrival of spring. Even when they were sitting proud and cheery while surrounded by snow.

Thanks for the advice! I am sorry to say the link did not work. Do you have a better link?

What kind of Periwinkle do you have?

Susan

In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.....Margaret Atwood